Young Adult Medley

I’m excited to share a few young adult picks with you all tonight. These three books might seem like a random assortment, but they all have one thing in common: They were the summer reading choices for my students this year. I really enjoyed throwing some Young Adult lit into my reading selection for the years, so here’s a brief review of these three books.

Up first is The Selection by Kiera Cass. I’ve been describing it to people as The Hunger Games meets “The Bachelor.” This dystopian novel is set in a society where the prince has to choose a wife from a group of girls. The world of the novel is divided into a strict caste system, which adds an added challenge for the protagonist! I read this book really quickly–it definitely sucked me in right away. There are several more books in the series, but I haven’t had a chance to read them yet. I guess you could say I’m pacing myself!

Up next is a really famous YA choice, Monster by Walter Dean Myers. This book is told through a combination of screenplay and journal, and the main character, Steve Harmon, is the narrator. Steve is in prison awaiting trial for murder. The book deals a lot with our perceptions of others. Of the three books, this one raised the most questions for me, and it really made me think about how I view people.

Last but not least, this nonfiction pick is about Tim Howard, an American soccer player who broke a world record by having the most number of saves in the World Cup. Soccer isn’t something I’m familiar with, but Howard’s story of his journey to becoming an elite athlete was really interesting. He suffers from Tourette’s Syndrome and OCD, and reading about how he overcame those challenges was quite inspiring.

So there you have it! If you have any young adults in your life who need a good story, here are three options. I can’t wait for the school year to get started on Monday so I can find out what my students thought of these books.